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Program Overview
Screenwriting, first and foremost, is a craft. Talent alone is not enough. A writer must train by doing—by writing every day possible, which is exactly the requirement at the New York Film Academy, a film school devoted to writers, as well as directors, editors and cinematographers. The advantage of our intensive One-Year Screenwriting Program lies in the fact that students are given a solid structure for writing and meeting deadlines in addition to learning the craft of writing. Students must write intensively during the course, completing several projects in close coordination with the instructors and with their peers. We consider it an ideal learning-by-writing environment, and believe it to be one of the most comprehensive writing programs of all the film schools.
Over the course of the year, each student will write two feature length screenplays, plus one television "spec" script and a number of treatments. As part of a fully integrated program, students will explore related areas of filmmaking that will improve their screenplays and put them in a real-world context. Thus, in addition to writing classes, students will study film craft, acting, pitching, and cinema studies as they apply to screenwriting. They will also write, direct and edit a short digital film or scene from a feature script.
Upon completion of the program, students will not only have gained an understanding of story structure, character, conflict and dialogue, but they will also leave the Academy with several finished products which they can pitch, produce, and try to sell. |
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The intensive One-Year Screenwriting Program is rigorous in its demands. Throughout the year students take courses in the Elements of Dramatic Writing, Basic and Advanced Screenwriting, Acting from the Writer's Viewpoint, Directing from the Writer's Viewpoint, Television Script (Teleplay) Writing, Revision, The Business of Screenwriting and more. Guest lecturers from within the industry and special film screenings supplement classes.
In the first two months, students will be instructed on the conventions of screenplay writing, and will complete a first draft of a feature screenplay. Simultaneously, they will explore the development of cinematic stories from the inception of the moving image to today. Students will explore acting from the writer's perspective, which will assist them in creating believable dialogue and true to life characters in their scripts.
The latter part of the first semester will consist of in-depth analysis of successful screenplays, story idea generation - the product of which can be used in the second semester - and writing for television. |
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• Complete a first draft of a feature screenplay
• Write a television spec script
• Create two additional, well-developed feature screenplay treatments |
• Understand the necessary elements and conventions of a well-written feature length screenplay, and gain the ability to put that knowledge to use
• Gain a perspective on the development of writing for the screen from classic films to current trends
• Understand the actor's process and the aspects of the screenplay that help the actor to bring the character on the page to life
• Explore the television format, and learn how to develop a script for the "small screen |
| ELEMENTS OF SCREENWRITING |
FEATURE SCREENWRITING WORKSHOP I |
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This course introduces students to the craft of screenwriting, establishing a foundation for all future writing. Through lectures and clips, the instructor will highlight a specific topic that students will then analyze in classroom discussion and practice through skill-building exercises. Topics include Classic screenplay structure, the Elements of the Scene, Developing the Character, Character arcs, Antagonists, Dialogue, Writing the Visual Image, Introduction to Final Draft, Theme, Conflict, Flashbacks, Fantasy Sequences and Dream Sequences, Voiceover, Text and Subtext, Developing Your Writing Style, Tone and Genre, Visualization, Revealing Exposition, Creating a Compelling Second Act, Climaxes and Resolutions, and the Beats of the Scene. Screenplay formatting will be a major focus, and students will learn how to write scene descriptions, to describe characters and locations, and to develop action sequences. |
Workshop sessions are student-driven classes in which student work is evaluated and critiqued. Deadlines will be established that guide students in the development of a feature-length screenplay from logline to treatment, then from outline to screenplay. Each student will be allocated one hour of workshop time a week in which his/her work will be critiqued. A constructive, creative and supportive atmosphere will be strongly encouraged. |
| GENRE STUDIES |
FEATURE SCREENWRITING WORKSHOP II |
| This course introduces students to critical concepts in film history and culture, and allows students the opportunity to engage deeply with individual films. Consisting of lectures, screenings, and group discussions, each session will give students the chance to consider classic and provocative films within the context of a broader film culture. The course includes topics such as: film genre; film history; film style; film criticism and cinema-going practice; entertainment industry organization; and other topics in the culture of film. |
In the second half of the 1st semester the workshopping continues, providing students an arena in which to complete the first draft of their first screenplay. This will be the perfect place for students to practice the art of discipline, as they will be expected to work at their own rates and to present scenes only every other week. |
ADVANCED ELEMENTS /
STORY GENERATION |
TV WRITING: SITCOMS AND
ONE-HOUR DRAMAS |
| This course introduces students to the workhorse of the screenwriting business -- treatments. On fast and furious deadlines, students will be expected to create two high concept screenplay ideas, flesh out characters, and organize their story structures. The end product will be two treatments, which can be used as the foundation for the second feature-length screenplay, the pitch to be developed in the fourth quarter, and/or in conjunction with a producing package for the One Year Producing class. |
Even in these days of reality TV shows, Sitcoms and One-Hour dramas are still top ten hits. In this course, students will choose break into different classes and specialize in either writing the sitcom or writing the one-hour drama. Each course will cover standard conventions, proper formatting, expected running times, styles of dialogue, and seasonal character and plot development. As part of this training, students will then conceive, write and polish their own television spec script based on a show that is currently running on television, which can later be used as a writing sample. |
| SCREENPLAY ANALYSIS |
ACTING FOR WRITERS |
| This course is designed to further students' knowledge of the intricacies of feature-length screenwriting. Each week, students will be required to view a film (or read the script) prior to an in-class screening of that same film. The instructor will then critique the film as it is screened, offering minute-by-minute observations focusing on such topics as subplot development, visual storytelling, turning points, planting and pay-off, and character development. Films screened may include RISKY BUSINESS, TRAINSPOTTING, MY LIFE AS A DOG, JOE THE KING, BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID, and BRIDGET JONES' DIARY. |
Acting for Writers introduces students to the theory and practice of the acting craft, using Stanislavsky's Method, improvisation, and scene and monologue work as starting points. By exploring how actors build characters and performances based upon the information provided in a film script, writers will learn how to write more powerful dialogue, develop more memorable characters, and create more effective dramatic actions. Upon completion of this course, writers will have a new understanding of how their words are translated into performance, and this knowledge will help students refine their craft. |
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| Students will begin a new feature screenplay in the second semester, and will also take time to write a short screenplay and shoot the short film on digital video. We find the experience of taking a short screenplay from inception to finished product is invaluable to the student writer. To achieve this project students will have instruction in digital cinematography and lighting, as well as directing. |
The year culminates with each student's revision of one of their two first drafts and a variety of lectures concerning the business of screenwriting. Upon completion of the program students will have completed one first draft of a feature screenplay, a second draft of another feature screenplay, a television spec script, a short film and number of treatments for additional screenplay ideas. |
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• Gain a greater knowledge of the writer's process: writing and rewriting
• Explore the process of making a film from concept to completion to increase your understanding of the necessities of a good screenplay, and how a screenplay may change over the course of production and post-production.
• Learn about the business of writing. A successful writer has to be savvy, as well as talented.
• Develop a successful pitching style to get your work seen |
• Complete a second first draft of a feature screenplay
• Write a short film script. Shoot and edit it.
• Take one of your two first drafts to a second draft. |
| FEATURE SCREENWRITING WORKSHOP III |
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Grounded in the basics of screenwriting, and having found their writing "legs", students will write their second feature of the year. Since the story will already have been developed in Advanced Elements class, the emphasis will be on getting the screenplay on the page. |
Similar to our AMC One Week filmmaking course, this intensive workshop trains students in the fundamentals of film directing, which in turn facilitates an understanding of the filmmaking process as it relates to screenwriting. It is our belief that a student who actually picks up a camera, blocks a scene and directs actors from a script is far better prepared to then write a screenplay. If a writer has been on the other side of the camera, if a writer has actually translated a shot on the page into a shot in the camera, then the writer has a much sharper perspective on the writing process.
Hands-on classes in directing, editing, cinematography, and production cover the creative and technical demands of telling a story with moving images. Then, working in crews of four, students will make a short film or shoot a scene from one of their screenplays using digital video cameras. Afterwards, they will edit their footage with digitized sound on Final Cut Pro.
At the end of the one-week seminar, the final films are celebrated in a screening open to cast, crew, friends and family. |
| FILM EDITING FOR WRITERS |
| In this class, students will learn basic digital editing concepts, and the effects of the editing process on a screenplay. |
| SCRIPT REVISIONS |
| Having created three spec scripts during the first three quarters of the year, students are now ready to delve into the revision process. In this class, we will read each student's feature, identify its strengths and weaknesses, and develop a strategy for revising it. Students will then rewrite the script. Workshop classes will provide students the opportunity to hear their work read aloud and to receive constructive criticism from fellow students and the instructor. |
| PITCHING |
THE BUSINESS OF SCREENWRITING |
| Pitching is crucial in the film and television business. Pitching is the ability to accurately and engagingly convey the basic outline of your story to another person, verbally, in a very short time. It's not as easy as one would imagine. Working with experienced professionals, students will actually practice pitching in a mock real-world session. They will come up with characters and storylines (or use one of the treatments they developed in the second quarter), practice verbally pitching them, and will then pitch to the instructor, gaining feedback and comments to further the student's skills. The knowledge and skill the student attains will be of great value for their future screenwriting endeavors. |
There are many "angles" to understand when approaching "the deal," and they differ from film to television. It is crucially important for a writer to protect his or her work both through Copyright Registration and registration through the Writer's Guild of America. Next, the writer must strategize about how to get his or her script into the right hands, in the correct manner, and for the appropriate market. An overview of topics include: Agents, What Is Copyright?, How Do I Enforce My Copyright?, How to Register with the Writer's Guild of America?, Getting Your Script in the Right Hands, What To Do If You Don't Have an Agent, If the Deal Goes Through What You Need to Know, Options, Pay for Rewrites, Writing on Spec or for Hire, How a Television Deal Differs from a Film Deal. |
| GUEST LECTURE SERIES |
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| Subject to availability, industry guests will speak to students and concentrate the discussion on their expertise. Previous guests have included writers' agents, script doctors, feature screenwriters, tv writers, WGA representatives. |
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